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Teen magician Derek McKee living in box to help homeless children

By Nic TuricianoThe Denver Post

Posted:
03/31/2013 12:01:00 AM MDT

Updated:
03/31/2013 02:19:35 AM MDT

Heritage High School senior Derek McKee, 18, is living in a plexiglass-and-wood construction on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver for a week to collect food and money for homeless children. He plans to stay in the box until Tuesday. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

Derek McKee says he's like a monkey in a cage.

For one week, the 18-year-old is living in an 8-foot, plexiglass-and-wood cube on the 16th Street Mall.

But, as he had to explain to one passer-by, his action is not performance art.

He's doing it to collect food and money and raise awareness for Denver's homeless children, which, according Denver Homeless Out Loud, numbered 147 in 2011.

"My mom wanted me to do three days, and I said, 'No way,' " recounted McKee, a senior at Heritage High School in Littleton.

By the time he moves out Tuesday, he hopes he'll have collected 3,000 cans of food for the Food Bank of the Rockies. That would be enough to line the plexiglass walls of his boxed-in home from floor to ceiling, McKee said.

Derek McKee, sitting in his cube, says the greatest challenge of his week-long stay has been sleeping in the heart of downtown Denver's busy outdoor mall. "Between 5 and 7:30 (in the morning) is the best time," he said. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

After two days, he was confident he'd reach that goal.

So far, his greatest challenge has been sleeping in the heart of downtown Denver's busy outdoor mall — he's averaging 2½ hours of rest a night.

"Between 5 and 7:30 (in the morning) is the best time because the music isn't on yet and the lights are off, but it's still dark outside and nobody's bothering you," he said.

McKee, who is on spring break, isn't doing it alone.

Riggs Wynz, a junior at Heritage, and Abbie Wade, McKee's ninth-grade algebra teacher, were present Friday afternoon to stack cans and field questions.

McKee admitted that his temporary public living arrangement has been unnerving at times, but it isn't his first experience being on display.

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At 11, he was the youngest person to ever perform at the Teen World Magic competition in Las Vegas. At 13, he was featured in the documentary "Make Believe," which followed six young magicians battling for the title of Teen World Champion.

McKee has since become a regular on the magic circuit. Also, he has performed in four countries outside the U.S. and appeared on the TV show "Extra" with Mario Lopez.

With graduation coming up in May, McKee plans to move to California to attend Santa Monica Junior College before transferring to the University of California at Los Angeles.

He said he plans to continue performing magic and hopes to continue charity work as an adult.

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